Credit: Imago

Jack Dawson

Tue 14 April 2026 10:45, UK

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Celtic may have stayed in the Scottish Premiership title race with a victory over St Mirren on Saturday, but it has done little to convince the fanbase they can win the trophy.

Despite a solid first half at Celtic Park, the Hoops were sloppy in the second period and completely allowed the Buddies back into the game.

By the final whistle, the visitors can find themselves unlucky not to earn a point, previously an unthinkable statement from a Celtic perspective, especially given St Mirren’s current woes.

With Hearts and Rangers continuing to pick up points, it seems more and more likely that Martin O’Neill’s side will have to settle for third place.

Looking at the stats from Celtic’s priceless victory, it seems they are already out of the title race, given their complete lack of attacking intent.

Celtic’s midfielders don’t look to play forward passes

Perhaps the most important aspect for any side fighting for the title is goals. If your club cannot score, it simply will not win games.

However, for many in Celtic’s team, players seem incapable of creating consistent chances for their teammates.

In an analysis of the match, The Celtic Way on 14 April, using data from WyScout, looked at how the Hoops’ starting midfield trio did when attempting to pass the ball.

Despite being at home and winning for almost all of the game, Benjamin Nygren, Callum McGregor and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain only completed 17 forward passes combined, with the latter only achieving two.

In comparison, 18-year-old Jacob Devaney managed 18 for St Mirren, more than the combined total of the Celtic trio.

It is this damning stat which shows why Celtic will not win the league. Either the players are too scared to pass the ball forward with intent, or they simply do not have the quality to pull it off.

Either way, it is hard to see how the Hoops will win many games post-split if they are unable to complete such a simple task.

Who could fix this problem for Celtic?

Football Insider has exclusively revealed that Alfie Devine is of interest to Celtic ahead of the summer transfer window.

The 21-year-old currently plays for Preston North End in the Championship, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, where he has impressed.

O’Neill was reportedly watching the midfielder during the 1-1 draw against QPR last week, where Devine picked up an assist.

However, it remains to be seen if the Hoops pursue and make an offer for the youngster in the upcoming transfer window.